Five Sri Lankan youths drown in England

Five men who drowned in sea off Camber Sands were a group of Sri Lankan friends on a day trip from London who died together on the hottest day of the year, according to British media.

Three victims were pulled from the sea off the East Sussex beach yesterday afternoon and emergency services tried and failed to revive them in front of thousands of horrified holidaymakers.

Two more bodies - also believed to be wearing shorts and T-shirts - were found washed up by a walker as the tide went out last night, the Daily Mail reported.

Witnesses said the first three dead men - who are believed to originally be from Sri Lanka - did not appear to have any family or friends with them and may have travelled together from London.

Their clothes led to speculation that the victims could be illegal immigrants - but a police source said that the investigation is at an early stage and ‘there is currently nothing to suggest the men were migrants’.

Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly said the men were all ‘wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach’ when they died and ‘came together for the day’.

She said: ‘We believe they are all in their late teens and early 20s and come from the Greater London area. We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no on-going searches related to this incident.

‘This has been an incredibly tragic incident and we are offering their next of kin support at this difficult time and our thoughts are with them.’

Investigators are considering if they were pulled to their deaths by the powerful riptide at Camber.